Love Her Madly
by camelliawrites
Summary: "Don't ya love her as she's walkin' out the door? Like she did one thousand times before..." Zen feels like he's drowning. Everywhere he looks, they're together. The happy couple, MC and Jumin. But MC might not be as happy as she appears. [Zen x MC, Jumin x MC. Multi-chapter. Takes place after Jumin's Good Ending.][Tumblr: camelliawrites]
1. Prologue: A Normal Anniversary Party

_Don't ya love her madly_

 _Don't ya need her badly_

 _Don't ya love her ways_

 _Tell me what you say_

 _Don't ya love her madly_

 _Wanna be her daddy_

 _Don't ya love her face_

 _Don't ya love her as she's walkin' out the door_

 _Like she did one thousand times before_

-"Love Her Madly", The Doors

He watched the way her long hair shook slightly as she laughed, throwing her head back to voice her amusement. Her husband gave her an adoring smile. Her hand rested on his shoulder, her diamond-encrusted wedding ring glinting, taunting him with every flicker of light. Taking a sip of his drink, he winced at the burn it left going down. Nothing compared to watching her with _him_ , however.

He stood up, meeting the eyes of a few guests and flashing them a polite smile as he made his way across the room. He watched her face freeze as she saw him, making him puff with pride a bit on the inside. He loved that could evoke those kind of reactions from her. The actor relished the thought of her attention being drawn to him while her husband was right beside her.

He cleared his throat behind the happy couple, wordlessly asking if he could butt in. As they parted slightly to allow him room, he clapped a hand heartily on Jumin's shoulder. The older man grimaced slightly but retained his composure, a hallmark of the etiquette lessons hammered into him from a young age. Jumin was always cool, calm, and collected; the ideal businessman. Nothing like himself.

"Can't believe it's already been a year, huh?" Zen gave the couple a wink. "When're we gonna see some little trust fund kids running around, hm?" he teased.

Jumin merely raised his eyebrows at the silver-haired man. "MC and I have decided to wait at least another year before beginning the procreation process. We mutually agreed it was best to give ourselves time to enjoy our marriage while we are still childless." He took a sip of his wine, tightening his grip on his wife's waist.

"There are many things we would like to do now that would be very difficult to do with children." Though he spoke confidently, Zen swore he saw a flicker of disappointment in the heir's eyes as he looked over at his wife.

MC nodded, her face baring a slight hint of discomfort. "Plus, I'm still young. I'd like some time to enjoy my 20s before being thrust into motherhood." She laughed nervously, eyes darting around the room. She seemed to be avoiding her husband's gaze, as well the actor's.

"I'm surprised to see you so cavalier about this subject, Zen," Jumin remarked, narrowing his eyes. "I thought you of all people would be lecturing me on how to treat my wife, least of all encroaching upon a subject that suggests we engage in sexual intercourse."

Zen sputtered, nearly dropping his drink, and MC coughed loudly. "Jumin, darling, lower your voice. We're in a public place, and there are important clients here."

"Yeah, Trust Fund Kid, jeez! I'm always ready to call the police if you go too far. Don't think I forgot that joke about the cage!" Zen fumed, his voice elevating a bit in his anger.

Jumin rolled his eyes, while MC leaned forward to place a hand on the actor's arm. "Zen, we talked about this. Jumin doesn't make any decisions without consulting with me first." Her voice was reassuring, but her eyes were somewhat imploring, a hidden plea trapping his gaze. The touch of her hand on his arm was soft, almost tender.

The heir looked intently at the two before speaking. His words jolted MC back to reality, allowing her husband to draw her back in close to his side. "Nevertheless, we appreciate you attending our anniversary party. I know this must be difficult for you, accepting our happiness for what it is."

His words were condescending, putting Zen on edge. The young man clenched a fist behind his back watching the jerk draw MC in for a loving kiss. It was short, but the intent was very clear. They were in love and happily married, and there was nothing Zen could do to change that.

Biting back a retort as not to upset MC, Zen forced a smile. "Well, if she makes you a little more tolerable, it's worth it, I guess. I'll be watching to make sure you keep your promise to give Jaehee more breaks!" He scratched the back of his head nervously, trying to break the tension. "You two enjoy yourselves. I'll be over at the bar making sure Yoosung doesn't overdo it again." He gave the two a short goodbye and walked away.

He chuckled to himself, shaking his head. The sting of Jumin's jabs didn't linger too long, because he knew he would get the last laugh.

After all, wasn't it just last night that Jumin's _precious_ wife was screaming his name as he fucked her into the mattress?


	2. Chapter 1: Jumin Han's Wife

_One month earlier..._

Legs crossed over each other as she sat upon the stool, MC sighed. She swirled a drink in her hand while idly tapping the side of her foot against the breakfast bar. Her eyes scanned the large, open kitchen in Jumin's penthouse. No, wait - _their_ penthouse. Even after nearly a year of marriage, she still couldn't manage to feel comfortable enough to call it her home.

If she was being completely honest, it still felt like a lavish prison, or, more aptly, a cage. MC found herself more and more restless, and she would frequently end up hunting around in the kitchen for an expensive bottle of wine to help her relax. She hoped it would dull the rigid and uncomfortable feeling she couldn't seem to shake surrounding the circumstances of her current situation. Well, 'situation' made it sound too unpleasant. Marriage, she supposed, would be the right word, although it didn't feel like one to her.

MC groaned. Why was she complaining so much? She was being ungrateful; hundreds of women would kill to be in her place right now. Maybe that's all well and good for them, but MC had a different vision for how her life was going to go, and this was not it.

When she had first met Jumin, she felt like a lovestruck high schooler with a crush on the handsome and aloof upperclassman. She desperately wanted his approval, so whenever he expressed any modicum of interest in her, instead of his usual cool indifference, she was eager to talk to him and listen to all of his problems. Even with their first few days of interaction being solely through the RFA messenger, she felt her heart flutter with each word they shared.

She was only 19, but completely and utterly taken with this handsome man, nearly ten years her senior. Once he started experiencing problems with his father and the arranged marriage, she was an attentive listener and caring confidant that he began to take notice of.

When Jaehee urged her to go to Jumin's penthouse to see him, she was ecstatic. She brushed off Zen's protests and warnings, assuring him she would be perfectly fine. She was just going to help Jumin feel better so he could go back to work, what could go wrong?

Many things, apparently. She had been wowed by the grandeur of his penthouse, and lovestruck from being around Jumin in person. She found it a little odd that Jumin objected to her chatting with Zen while in his penthouse, because they hadn't declared anything about the nature of their relationship, nor had Jumin indicated that he felt anything more for her than friendship. But she was able to brush off any red flags she had out of sheer joy from being able to be around her crush.

Well, Jumin confirmed how he felt about MC when he kissed her in front of his arranged fiancée, Sarah. MC was taken aback, and a little bit uncomfortable with being used as a tool to anger Sarah, even though Jumin admitted his feelings for her were genuine. She would have just liked for him to ask before he decided to make such a bold and romantic gesture. Any sort of 'heads up' beforehand would have been nice.

She continued to push away any red flags or feelings of discomfort she had during her time at Jumin's penthouse. Whenever the other RFA members expressed concern for her, she just kept repeating how Jumin was having a hard time and she was helping him through it. She emphasized to them, and to herself, that it was temporary. She could help him. Anything he did, like threatening her, physically trapping her, controlling who she talked to, choosing what she wore and what she ate, refusing to let her leave, and overstepping boundaries were one time things that wouldn't happen again. She ignored the niggling voice in the back of her mind that questioned why she had to keep justifying Jumin's behaviors to everyone, including herself. She pushed away the part of her that worried if she might be giving too much of herself and not getting enough back in return.

Even though she brushed them off, the concerns of the other RFA members helped her a lot. It was comforting to know she had a group of people that cared about her and were willing to intervene if she asked. Zen could be overbearing at times, but she appreciated how much he really cared for her. It was something he had done from the beginning; he showed that he cared and that he was interested in talking to her, something Jumin hadn't done until he kissed her.

When Jumin proposed to her, she was shocked, but ecstatic. She was a 19 year old girl who had barely dated anyone prior to Jumin. To have this handsome, worldly, and older man wanting to marry her seemed like a dream. Any reservations she would have had when making decisions normally went out the window. She was blinded by love and infatuation, and the idea that someone would want to be with her, let alone love her, was something she never thought would happen. So of course, she said yes.

Things began to deteriorate after that. They had a whirlwind marriage and honeymoon, and she was too drunk on love and feelings and _Jumin_ to protest anything she didn't agree with. When Jumin decided one night, before they were even married, that he couldn't wait any longer and wanted to make love to her, she didn't protest, despite being uncertain about the endeavor. She hadn't really wanted to do it; she was still a virgin and while she didn't care about waiting for marriage, she didn't feel entirely ready and wished she could have waited a bit longer into her relationship with Jumin to take that step with him. But she didn't want to say no to him. She was lucky that he loved her, the least she could do was give him what he wanted.

It hurt and she didn't enjoy it; she didn't even orgasm - though Jumin had brushed that off as normal, because most women don't climax during their first time anyway. She cried the entire time, but she tried to hide it from Jumin by doing all she could to muffle her sobs, the tears running down her cheeks the only evidence of her discomfort and unhappiness. She didn't remember if he noticed or not.

Her wedding and honeymoon were everything a woman could want, and she did enjoy them. She was enraptured with Jumin and would do anything for him. Even when it seemed like he didn't give her much in return emotionally, compared to what she gave him, she was still devoted to him.

As they settled into married life, MC began to grow more and more discontented. She wanted to go to college, or at least get a job, but Jumin insisted any wife of his didn't need to do any work because he would provide for her. She hated that; she didn't want to sit around all day feeling useless and doing nothing. She had dreams and aspirations, she wanted to find success for herself professionally. Or course, she was still the RFA coordinator, but that was an unpaid volunteer position. It required work, but not very much. She could easily handle school or a job while still planning parties.

For someone who detested gold diggers, Jumin spent an inordinate amount of time showering her with material things and making sure she didn't have to do any work. It felt at times like she was something that belonged to him, not a person who he was in a relationship with. A marriage is supposed to be an equal partnership, and that was not the case with Jumin and MC.

And here she was, almost a year into her marriage, 20 years old, and so incredibly unhappy. Jumin had begun to push the topic of children, but she wasn't ready, and she did her best to hold him off for now. However, Jumin still refused to use any protection when they have sex, saying that they're married and there is no need, and if anything happened, it would be for the best. Little known to him, she had begun taking birth control to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. She was afraid to mention it to him, for fear of his reaction.

"Ma'am, the actor Zen is here to see you. Should I let him in?" MC was abruptly interrupted from her thoughts by a bodyguard approaching to ask her a question.

"Uh, yes, of course. Let him in," she said distractedly. She didn't know why Zen was coming to see her; she hadn't asked him to, nor had they made any plans together. She shrugged it off. She was just happy to have a visitor. It was much more preferable to spending the whole day alone in the penthouse. Well, alone except for Elizabeth 3rd.

Standing up and smoothing down her skirt, she grabbed the wine glass and hurriedly dumped the rest of the contents down the sink, while grabbing the handle of the dishwasher and pulling it open, pushing it all the way down with her foot. She put the glass on one of the top racks, scrambling to close it before Zen came in. It was 11 AM, and she didn't want to deal with any raised eyebrows about her drinking. Especially not from Zen, who was perpetually over-concerned and nosy in her life, not to mention those of the other RFA members. It wasn't a bad thing; she actually quite appreciated how thoughtful and sweet he was. She just didn't want to worry him, which would ultimately cause him to yell at Jumin about how he wasn't treating her right or paying her enough attention. She didn't have the energy to deal with that.

"MC? Are you in here?" Zen poked his head into the kitchen. His face lit up when he saw her, a joyful expression spreading across his attractive features. She couldn't help but be a little in awe of him; he had the ability to bring happiness to people with only his smile. It was infectious, and she loved how animated he was. A refreshing change from Jumin, who she constantly struggled to read. He would grace her with loving smiles here and there, but the change in his expressions was usually so subtle. It was difficult to judge when he was happy and when he wasn't.

"Yeah, I'm here," she responded, gracing him with a smile of her own. "I was just… putting some dishes away."

Zen's face scrunched up, slightly confused and slightly suspicious. "Doesn't Jumin have people who do that?"

MC sighed, shaking her head. "He does, but I don't feel comfortable having them around all the time. I asked him if he could lessen the amount of staff around here, because it doesn't feel like home with other people doing everything for me."

Zen looked at her thoughtfully, and for a second she thought he was going to say something in response, but he changed the subject. "Where _is_ Jumin today? I thought he said he was going to be working less so he could spend more time with you."

Her eyes flickered downward briefly before she responded. "Yeah, well, he's a busy man, working for a powerful corporation. He has some obligations he can't get out of." What she didn't say was that while Jumin had promised that, he ultimately could not tear himself away from work. It was his nature to be thinking about the company all the time, and even though he loved her and wanted to be with her, C&R was where he gravitated to. It felt natural to him. She understood that it took time to break out of old routines, but she had begun to feel almost as if he didn't want to change this aspect of his life.

She decided to end that topic of conversation. "You never told me what you were doing here," she said, breaking into a grin. "Of course, it's always a nice surprise to see you, but you could have given me some heads up so I could make myself presentable!" She began to make her way over to him, pulling him in for a friendly hug. She couldn't help but take note of how he smelled; wonderfully masculine, musky, and warm. She noted the lack of cigarette smoke odor; he must have finally quit smoking. His arms were strong and protective, and she felt herself wanting to linger in them for a second or two longer. Composing herself mentally, she pulled away before the hug lasted for an inappropriate amount of time.

He chuckled as he detached himself from the hug. "You always look beautiful, princess. I can't believe you would ever think otherwise!" He gave her a wink, earning a slight blush from her. Even though she was married, Zen continued his flirty and casual way of speaking with her. However, he had made it clear through his actions that his intentions were never to try and make a move on Jumin's wife. That was just the way he talked, and it was expected of him at this point. "To answer your question, I stopped by to see if you wanted to go grab lunch. I just got out of an audition nearby, and I thought I'd come check on my favorite party planner." He had on his usual charming, lady-killer smile, but she saw a glimmer of worry in his eyes. Did he think she would turn him down?

"How'd you know Jumin wouldn't be here?" she quipped, raising an eyebrow.

He shrugged. "Let's just say I had a feeling. So what do you say, princess, yes or no? I know this great place nearby that I've been dying to show you. The owner's a friend of mine." His eyes were pleading, like a puppy, and she just couldn't say no to that face.

She chuckled. "Fine, fine. I was just giving you a hard time; I'm really thankful to have someone to spend time with." She caught herself. She didn't want to give off the impression that she was lonely, or Jumin would face Zen's wrath. "I mean, I don't get to have lunch with the other RFA members often enough! So this is a treat."

She took note of his attire, jeans, leather jacket over a V-neck that accentuated his toned figure - wait, what? She chided herself mentally. Zen was just attractive, and it was hard not to stare. Yes. That was all. "How fancy is this place? Because I might want to change," she said, gesturing to her simple, yet classy outfit - white button down and elegant black pencil skirt, adorned with various jewelry Jumin had gifted her. She wasn't entirely comfortable with the gaudy and expensive outfits he wanted her to wear, so she compromised by dressing in a simple and understated way, but her clothing itself was still high-quality. She didn't really want to wear designer brands - it was too ostentatious - but Jumin insisted upon it.

Zen's eyes roamed her figure briefly. "It's a casual place, but it's up to you, princess. I always think you look great, so I'm not really the best person to listen to here." He winked.

She rolled her eyes, but she couldn't keep the smile off her face at his comments. "I'll just change into something less stifling." She began to make her way to her and Jumin's shared bedroom. "Feel free to make yourself at home while you wait!" she called over her shoulder to Zen, who looked like he didn't know what to do with himself, surrounded by all the high end furniture and lavish decorations.

She closed the door behind her, going to her wardrobe to find a suitable outfit. Ultimately, she settled on a pair of skinny jeans and a simple red top with a slight sweetheart neckline, with a dark brown jacket thrown over that. Finishing the outfit off with some low heels, while forgoing most of her jewelry, she prepared herself to go back out there to Zen. She wanted to look casual, yet she cared about how he saw her, and she had a little bit of a desire to impress him. It was hard to stand out in comparison to him with his ethereal looks, but it couldn't hurt to try, right?

"Okay, I'm ready!" she said as she walked out to Zen. He turned around to look at her, a dumbstruck look on his face lingering for a second before he shook his head slightly to regain his composure.

"You, uh, you look beautiful, princess. You always do." He cleared his throat somewhat nervously. "All right, shall we go?"


End file.
